Invader Zim Reboot Didn't Consult Series Creator For Major Comeback

1 week ago 25

Published Jul 9, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

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There had never been a Nicktoon, and rarely has there been since, quite like Invader Zim before it premiered. While some deemed the animated series about an overly ambitious extraterrestrial hellbent on taking over Earth too scary for children, it practically defined a generation for the kids who loved it.

The show's enduring popularity would inspire a comic book continuing the Irken's misadventures in global conquest, and a reboot series has recently been announced. However, the announcement was not pleasing to everyone, namely the person who started it all.

Invader Zim Creator Is Not Involved With New Comic

Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of the original Invader Zim series, is not a part of the upcoming comic book revival. The cartoonist personally confirmed this with a post to his Threads account, on which he insists that the new series' official announcement was the first he had heard about it.

The new Invader Zim comic will be published by Boom! Studios, who revealed plans for the new series on social media. The property was previously licensed through Oni Press from 2015 to 2021.

In his Threads post, Vasquez writes that he was at least aware that the original Invader Zim comics released through Oni Press were in the process of being repackaged. However, the development of new material was news to him, as was the concept of the eponymous alien anti-hero "being in an 'IRKEN CHRYSALIS,'" as Boom! Studios mentioned in their announcement.

Invader Zim is one of many beloved cancelled TV shows later revived as a comic, having premiered on Nickelodeon in March 2001 before the network called off the invasion after two seasons, less than a year later, only to spawn a Netflix original feature-length follow-up called Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus in 2019. Vasquez originally rose to prominence as a comic book creator, most notably as writer and artist for 1995's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and was also creatively involved with Oni Press' run of the Zim comic.

New Invader Zim Comic Writer Was Not Aware Of Vasquez's Shut-Out

On July 6th, in response to Vasquez's Threads post, Jim Zub, the writer of Boom! Studios' upcoming Invader Zim comic, commented on the situation on his personal blog, Zub Tales. He claims that he had no idea that the series' original emcee had no creative input on this project.

"... I didn’t know... that Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of Zim, didn’t know about the new series at all and feels really awkward about new material being built on his team’s hard work without any involvement or communication. I understand how crappy that would feel, even if it’s legally allowed."

He goes on to explain that he was told the "Invader Zim team" would be handling approval of the material, only to learn that said group is a "Paramount licensing team" that does not include anyone creatively involved with the original TV series. He also expresses how much of an awkward position this discovery puts him in, admitting how proud he is of the work that he and the rest of the artists working on the new Zim comic have turned out.

Zub is a Canadian comic book writer and artist with a previous history of adapting popular animated series into comics, namely Boom! Studios' Adventure Time run, Samurai Jack for IDW Publishing, and a few Rick and Morty stories with Oni Press. He has also been involved in some high-level titles for the big two, including DC's Batman: Urban Legends #20 and Thunderbolts for Marvel.

Providing artwork for Boom! Studios' Invader Zim run is Dax Gordine. The artist has most notably contributed his signature storybook style of illustration to the kid-friendly Giant Size: Little Marvel series.

Boom! Studios' new Invader Zim comic book will hit shelves later in 2026.